Ain't Nobody Here
by SupernaturalCanary19
Summary: Sequel to Through the Fire and the Flames. Alan is having a hard time dealing with his brothers after his return from the hospital but matters are made worse when The Hood comes back for revenge.
1. Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge

A warm, gentle breeze rustled the tall trees dotted around the Tracy Island as the setting sun cast a golden glow over the horizon. The sandy beach down by the north of the island looked like an orange river from where Alan stood in his room, leant against his window frame, silently observing the world around him. Casting his eyes around the island for what felt like the hundredth time that day, Alan stepped forward and out onto the small balcony. Reaching the edge, he placed his hands on the cool stone ledge, leaning towards the sun. Shutting his eyes, he allowed himself to get lost in the moment, soaking up the remaining warmth that lingered in the air.

It had been a week since he was let out of hospital and ever since he couldn't shake off an odd feeling in his chest. It felt like he was caged, his brothers and father watching his every move and smothering him in the process. He knew it was his own fault for letting himself get into that mess in the first place, but every day he grew more tired of it. Sighing, he tipped his head back and let the sunlight seep into his vision.

_I don't know how much longer I can do this. _

He knew they meant well, but the since the minute he had got back he had been watched like a hawk. It had inadvertently caused him become more withdrawn into himself, now less willing to talk to his over bearing family members.

After what felt like forever, Alan opened his eyes again, once more getting lost in the tranquillity he suddenly felt now he was alone again and not having to put up with constant questions and scrutiny.

Without warning a cry rang out in the air, echoing around the vast space and making him jump with fright. Attempting to control his rapidly beating heart, he glanced down just in time to see John getting thrown into the pool by Gordon and Scott. As the only other blonde Tracy emerged coughing and spluttering from the water Alan let out a loud laugh, drawing the attention of the remaining dry Tracys.

"Hey, Al!" Scott yelled from bellow, cupping his hands around his mouth as though to make his yell louder. He needn't have as all it had resulted in was a thumping beat behind Alan's eyes, his already throbbing head spiking with pain.

Sighing, he waved back to his eldest brother. Mustering up the brightest smile he could, he yelled back down to the other Tracy boys.

"Did he actually deserve it this time or do you two just like throwing him in the pool? It's the third time this week and it's only Thursday." With a frown, he looked down at them as they began to laugh. He was beginning to wonder how two people could actually be that _annoying _at times.

As soon as the thought had crossed his mind, he instantly felt remorseful. He had used to be the one throwing his brothers in the pool, yet he now was irritated by the popular pastime in the Tracy household.

_What is wrong with me? _

Pondering that question, he turned on his heels and walked back into the room. Going straight past his bed, he headed out the door and down to the infirmary. Desperately hoping he wouldn't bump into Virgil on the way, Alan wandered quietly down the hall ways leading to the medical room.

As he reached the doors, he pressed the pad slightly to the left and watched as they swished open. Stepping into the room, he headed straight for the cabinet he knew contained the Ibuprofen. Grabbing a couple of tablets from a small bottle with a bright label on, he shut the cabinet door again and padded over to the sink. He dipped his head down, turned on the cold tap and filled his mouth with the trickling, clear substance and popped the tablets into his mouth. Swallowing them with a grimace, he swiped a hand across his chin, wiping away the few beads that he head allowed to roll down his face.

Alan turned around once more and headed back out of the room, once more alert to his the possible appearance of his elder siblings. Making his way along the brightly lit corridor he paused at the end and stuck his heard around the corner to check if his coast was clear.

Suddenly, a burst of pain shot through his head, tearing a cry from his lips. Dropping to his knees, he gripped his head tightly with both hands, a white light flashing in his vision. The pain continued to grow and another yell escaped him. As soon as it had started the pain stopped, instead replaced by a voice echoing throughout his skull.

"_You're mine, Tracy. Revenge will be mine soon."_

Gasping for breath, Alan opened his tightly clenched eyes. He let his hands fall until they smacked against the floor loudly and winced at the dull pain that thudded up his arms. Another few seconds passed before the pain smashed into his head once more and he couldn't stop the third pain-filled cry.

Hours seemed to pass as the pain kept attacking him, but he knew it was only seconds. Suddenly the high pitched screeching that filled his senses was accompanied by thundering footsteps getting louder and louder, along with his name being called in what he could make out a worried tone. Groaning and crying out once more, the blackness surrounded him and he felt himself falling into the arms of whoever had been calling his name.


	2. People Ain't No Good

**I'm baaaccckkk! After yet another extremely long period of nada from me I thought it was time to add another story to the collection, so here it goes! **

**PS, NAME CHANGE! I know, it's crazy but my penname has changed and is now SupernaturalCanary19 instead of All English Reject. Just so you don't go barmy and think WHO IS THIS CRAZY FREAK MASQUERADING AS THE PERSON WE ONCE KNEW? Not that you probably would... Meh.**

**This story is set as the sequel to Through the Fire and Flames so if you haven't read that, I urge you to or you might sit there thinking what a complete idiot I am for writing such a terrible story. Sorry about that folks!**

**Hope you enjoyed the prologue, here's chapter two.**

**Wonderfully beta'ed by criminally charmed once more. Thank you! **

**Disclaimer: Not mine, never will be. All mistakes and grammatical errors are mine though!**

* * *

"Alan? Come on Al, open those eyes of yours for me," a soft voice called.

A startlingly bright light was what Alan Tracy opened his eyes to see. Quickly pinching them shut as to try and ease the spikes of pain the light was sending through his skull, Alan let out a small sigh and gently pried his heavy lids open once more. John's worried face was the first thing that Alan saw. Groaning, he moved his hand to his head and lightly rubbed his fingers over his forehead.

Looking around, Alan suddenly realized that he was lying on the floor, his blonde brother's sturdy arms wrapped around the upper portion of his body. Gazing up into John's concerned eyes, Alan moved to sit up, placing both hands on the floor and easing himself up.

"Woah there, Alan - take it slow. Don't rush," John exclaimed, helping his youngest brother to sit up. After sitting up straight, Alan shifted backwards until his shoulders' touched the wall, careful of his still painful injury. Taking a few deep breaths, he glanced once again to John who was still staring intently at him in concern

"What happened there, Al? I came round the corner and you were... Allie, you passed out right there, but you were screaming. Was it your back? Did you hurt something? And don't you dare say it's nothing this time."

Sighing at his brother's obvious concern, Alan frowned as he recalled what had happened.

_If I tell him what I heard, he'll think I've gone crazy. Did I really hear that anyway?_

"_You're mine Tracy. Revenge will be mine soon."_

Grimacing, Alan stared at his hands, an internal debate raging in his mind.

"Alan?"

Glancing up at John, the rational side of the argument in his head won. Alan couldn't possibly tell John that he had heard a strange man talking about getting some sort of "revenge" in his head. _Revenge for what?_

"I don't know what happened... One minute I was fine, the next my head was killing me and then I heard you calling me. I wake up and you're standing over me. I really don't know what happened."

John looked at him intently as he spoke, his frown growing as he heard his little brother's concerning words. Shaking his head slightly to flick some water that dripped down from his still sodden hair, John leaned forward and placed a hand on Alan's forehead, noting that he didn't feel an odd temperature.

Slapping his brother's hand away, Alan pulled his head back.

"Knock it off John, I'm alright now. I'm probably just dehydrated, I've not had much to drink today and it's been boiling. I think I should just head to bed." Planting his hands on the wall behind him, Alan pushed himself up slowly, feeling his brother's strong hands around his chest to help him. Once in a standing position, Alan leaned against the wall slightly, attempting to stop the world from spinning in his head.

"Look, Allie, I have to tell Virge about this. It could be something really serious and I don't think any of us can bear it if something were to happen to you again." John spoke softly but with a final note in his voice that Alan recognized from his father speaking most of the time. "Please just let him look you over?"

Huffing, Alan could feel his irritation build at his brother's incessant babying and pulled himself away from the wall, out of John's grip.

"John, I'm fine now," he exclaimed sharply. "I'm telling you it was dehydration; there really is no need to tell Virge. He'll only go crazy with worry and make everyone else worry for no reason. There are bigger issues that we have to deal with. Please John, I'll grab a glass of water and head to bed. If it happens again, I'll tell Virge myself." Alan spoke strongly, but softened upon seeing the look of concern in his John's eyes.

_How did I ever think they didn't care about me?_

Reluctantly sighing, John stepped forward and put a hand on his youngest brother's shoulder.

"Fine, but if it happens again, Virge is going to hear about it, understand?" Sparing his brother another glance, John couldn't help the feeling that bubbled up in his chest as Alan nodded his head and stepped away, making his way down the hall. John was sure there was more to what happened than his only other blonde brother would let on to, but he knew Alan well enough to know the more the matter was pressed, the less likely he was to get an answer.

_What is going on with you, Allie?_

* * *

As Alan walked back through the hall towards his room, he could feel John's gaze burning into the back of his head. Groaning quietly in frustration, he rounded the corner and pushed open the door to his room. Shutting the door gently behind him, he let his head drop back against the solid wood and he slumped his shoulders and released a long breath.

The world had only just stopped spinning and suddenly his stomach turned threateningly. Grimacing, Alan pulled himself forward and dashed into the bathroom that was attached to his bedroom. Dropping down onto his knees hurriedly, he flicked the cold toilet lid open and bent over it sharply. The bile rose in his throat and he could do nothing but feel himself throw up painfully. Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes as he fought to get his breathing back under control as his throat burned from the acid.

Gasping for breath, Alan leant his forehead on the cool rim of the seat and sat there for a while, hands tightly grasping the sides of the bowl. His stomach still swirling, he attempted to stand up, his legs feeling like jelly. Placing a steadying hand on the wall, he leant forward and flushed the toilet.

Leaning back against the wall, Alan felt a drop of sweat fall down the side of his head and moved up a hand to swipe it away. Turning to the sink next to him, he grasped the cold tap and turned it sharply, relishing the cool feel on his burning skin. Bending down to take a mouthful of water, he suddenly felt immensely grateful for small favors as the water soothed his burning throat.

He stood up and he turned the tap off slowly. Making his way back through the bathroom and into his room, he lowered himself onto his bed gently and dropped his head into his hands.

_What the hell just happened?_

Air sliced through his teeth as he took in a shuddery breath, his stomach still growling at him. A few moments of quiet passed, all that could be heard the shaky breaths Alan managed to take before something sinister once again suddenly shattered the peace.

"_See you soon, Alan."_

* * *

A dark, cloaked figure sat still on a small, leather chair. The chair swiveled around as the man stood up, pacing heavily over to the bright computer panel that made up part of the small, box room. The room was Spartan, containing only a few things - a chair, a bed and a small, portable computer. The walls were a bare, dusty grey concrete and there were no windows, the only light coming from the small, flickering bulb that hung loosely from the cracked ceiling. The door was a rotten, dark wood with thick, heavy chains and locks covering the entire of one side.

The figure tapped a few buttons on the computer screen and suddenly the image of the youngest Tracy son lying on a bed flashed onto the screen. Grinning, the figure reached into his pocket at pulled out a small, hand-held phone. Flipping open the device, the person pressed a few things and brought the phone up to his ear. After a few seconds, a voice could be heard.

"_Yes, master?"_

"It's time, Frank. Bring him to me."

"_Yes sir. He will be with you within the next twenty-four hours."_

"Good. Do not be late."

With a click, the figure disconnected the phone call and placed the phone onto the bed. Standing, he grabbed the laptop, moved to the door and opened it wide, stepping out into the adjoining hall. Taking a quick left and making their way down a corridor similar to the room with its grey walls and grimy floor, the figure reached a large room filled with computer screens circling a chair in the middle. Setting himself down in the large, black chair, the figure grinned once more.

"Jeff Tracy, you will regret crossing me. Alan will make sure of that."

* * *

_**TBC...**_

**Reviews are love!**


	3. Just The Start

**Thank you for the amazing reviews once again, I really appreciate it! They are brilliant, so thank you! I'm glad you guys are enjoying the story. **

**Thanks again to CC who was the beta for this chapter and the last, I'm very glad for your help.**

**To anyone who is interested, are you watching the Royal Wedding? Isn't Kate's dress amazing?**

**Anyways, back to the story... Please enjoy this chapter! Next chapter is being written now.**

* * *

A yawn broke free of the youngest Tracy's lips as he stumbled into the kitchen, exhaustion making his movements awkward. Dropping into his chair, he ignored the rest of the Tracy family and guzzled down the waiting glass of fresh juice with abandonment, the cool liquid a god-send to his dry, scratchy throat. Smacking his lips, Alan placed the glass back onto the large table and took a first glance up at his family, only to find they were all staring at him intently.

Feeling a blush rise to his cheeks, he caught the gaze of his blonde counterpart, desperately hoping John hadn't told the rest of his family about the whole fainting incident the night before. Clearing his throat, he addressed the fellow Tracy men scattered around the large kitchen.

"Morning?" he croaked uncertainly as the other men continued to stare.

His greeting seemed to knock some life into the rest of the Tracy's and Alan heard Gordon snicker. Turning his gaze to the aquanaut, Alan shot a confused look to the red-head as a wide grin grew on Gordon's face. Suddenly, a loud laugh burst forth from the Gordon as he continued to stare at his baby brother.

"Al, have you seen yourself this morning?" Gordon questioned, a smirk still painted on his chiseled, tanned face. His eyes sparkled with mischief as Alan frowned, wondering what on earth his brother was on about.

"Uhh, no?" he replied questioningly, his gaze flickering between the rest of the Tracy men. All but John, who was simply gazing at him, seemed to be smirking at him oddly and he instantly brought a hand to his hair, trying to flatten it down as he took a guess as to what they were staring at him for.

Scott laughed quietly and reached over the table to swipe a finger along Alan's face near his lips. He drew his finger back and a pink smudge was evident all down the length of his finger. Staring at Scott's hand in horror, Alan reached up and dragged the back of his hand across his lips, eyes widening when his hand was too, covered with a pink smear.

Quickly, Alan dragged his gaze to the prankster sitting across from him with a smug look on his face. Alan felt his cheeks burn which made him glare daggers at Gordon, before he pushed his chair back and flew towards the guilty party. Gordon – his self-preservation skills honed by years of pranks - scraped his chair back and took off running from the room, dashing towards the pool.

In hot pursuit, Alan growled as he chased after his brother. Still trying to wipe away the lipstick that was smeared clumsily all over his lips and chin, he darted around the pool after Gordon. He could hear the sounds of laughter from the rest of the Tracy members.

Running after his brother, Alan's feet slapped on the cool tiles that surrounded the pool before a sudden throb in his back brought him to a halt and he glared as his brother the best he could. Glad that Gordon hadn't seemed to notice the wince that crossed his face, Alan made his way around the pool slowly, each step he took, his older brother taking the opposite way.

Careful of his throbbing back, Alan made a sharp turn the other way and headed for Gordon who darted in the other direction again, a grin still threatening to split his cheeks.

"Gordon, I really hate you!" Alan yelled across the still water of the pool at his brother. His features pinched again as his throat burned at the sound that tore from his sensitive vocal chords. Gordon simply laughed once more and took off running in the direction of the beach down at the edge of the Tracy Island.

Too sore to follow, Alan turned on his heel and marched up the steps back into the house. Glaring at his still sniggering brothers, he moved over to the sink and stuck his face under, scrubbing at the pink lipstick. Once he was satisfied all traces were gone from his face, Alan turned off the tap and dried his face with a towel that lay upon the counter next to the sink. Sighing at Gordon's antics, he swirled around quickly to attempt to glare once more at his family.

As soon as he stopped turning, the world seemed to spin for a few more seconds and he blinked a few times. Alan's stomach once again turned to mush and he swallowed sharply in an effort to stop himself from bringing up what little he had left in his system. Luckily, the rest of the occupants in the room seemed to still be laughing at his previously pink lips to notice the color drain slightly from his face.

Sighing in relief, Alan missed the concerned look that once again shot through the eldest blonde Tracy's eyes as he noticed Alan falter slightly in his movements.

"Very funny guys. Gordon's going to get it when he comes back." Alan threatened with a note of warning in his voice. Huffing dramatically in mock anger, he returned to the seat he was sitting at a few minutes ago and eased himself into the chair.

Turning to smile at his son, Jeff's eyes twinkled with a playful look.

"You won't be here when he gets back Al," Jeff said in an airy tone. Grinning at his youngest son's stunned and confused look, he continued with his surprise.

"You and John are heading to the mainland to pick up some supplies. I know you've been getting bored cooped up in here not being able to do much with that back so I thought you could accompany John to grab a few things." Jeff's smile grew as a look of delight passed over Alan's face. "What do you say?"

"Yes!" Alan yelped, a relived feeling sweeping across his chest. He could finally go out and do something useful without the constant scrutiny of all his brothers.

Suddenly a thought hit him. Looking over at John who sat quietly at the end of the table, Alan felt himself grow slightly apprehensive at the thought of John quizzing him about the events of the night before and frowned for a second before looking back at his father.

"When are we going, Dad?" he questioned happily, masking the slight nervous feeling in his chest.

"Whenever you're ready, son," Jeff grinned. Alan scrambled up from his chair and darted once more out of the kitchen and sped to his room.

Throwing off his sleep shirt and bottoms he slid on a pair of jeans and guided a t-shirt softly over his head and chest. Double checking in his tall mirror for any signs of pink, he deemed himself ready to go and walked out of the room, once more heading towards the kitchen. He saw his father smile at the speed he had returned in and he moved to the counter to pour himself another glass of juice.

"Ready, John?" he asked happily as the space loving Tracy stood.

"Sure am, Sprout. Lead the way." John gestured to the door Alan had just walked through and they directed a wave at the remaining members of the family.

"See you later, guys!" Alan called as he strolled down the hall towards the hangar down below the Tracy house. John lingered a few seconds and shared a few words with his father before sprinting slightly to catch up to the eager young blonde ahead of him.

"Slow down, Al. Wait for us old'uns to catch you up," John grinned. Upon noticing how much better Alan seemed to look, he felt the knot of worry in his stomach ease slightly after it tying it's self into tight bundles the night before over the welfare of Alan.

_I just hope the Sprout can manage today._

* * *

"Oh my God, this is so delicious," John moaned as the sweet taste of the strawberry and banana smoothie hit his tongue. He and Alan were currently taking a break from roaming the large, busy city and had stopped for a drink in a small cafe slightly off the main street.

Laughing at his sweet-toothed older brother, Alan took a sip of his lemonade and grimaced slightly as his stomach yet again lurched slightly.

Eyeing his brother, John noted the slight change in his brother as he seemed to wince.

"Not enjoying that drink, Sprout?"

Head shooting up, Alan felt his heart flutter slightly with nerves at being caught. Quickly thinking, he replied with the best excuse he could think of.

"It's a bit cold. Mind-freeze," he explained carefully with a fake expression of annoyance at the horrible sensation he had described. His words were met with a hum of acceptance from his elder brother and he quickly rearranged his features into a grin.

"How great is this, though? It's been ages since we've been here." Changing the subject seemed like his best plan and he directed another smile at John, receiving one in return.

"Certainly has been, Al. Last time we came here you still had to hold Dad's hand crossing the street." Smiling fondly at the memory, he laughed as Alan scowled. Ducking to avoid a swipe to his head, John returned to sipping on his drink.

The rest of the time they spent in the small cafe was spent in a content silence, the slurping of John's smoothie the only sound made between the two Tracy boys.

When they had finished, they stood up and threw the napkins they had been using into the bin next to their table and made their way back out of the door and onto the sidewalk.

"Let's get going," the older of the two blondes said and they stepped forward together. Settling into a steady pace, the boys rounded a corner onto a smaller alley that led them towards Tracy Industries where they needed to go to pick up the remaining of the items on the list John had tucked away in his pocket.

Turning his nose up at the smell down the alley, Alan felt a sudden gnaw at his stomach. Butterflies casually fluttered in his abdomen and he shuffled closer to John slightly. Twisting his head around, he glanced back down the alley towards the road as a dawning feeling arose on him. He had the sick feeling they were being watched.

A sudden shout from his brother brought Alan back facing the front, the fear shooting once more through his chest. A nauseating crunching sound brought a scream to his lips as a metal pipe connected sharply with the side of John's head sending him crashing to the floor. The older Tracy lay unmoving as Alan screeched his name.

"John! Holy shi-" he managed before his was swiftly cut off by a hand grasping his throat. His eyes bulged in panic as he fought for breath and struggled with the huge man grappling him. Desperately trying to break free, he kneed attacker hard in the shin and watched, dazedly as the man cursed loudly, releasing him for a few seconds. Ducking quickly under the man, Alan tried to reach John who still lay unmoving.

Alan gasped as he felt a piece of cloth being scraped across his face and he sucked in a breath as once again his air supply was cut off. Coughing at a bitter taste, he struggled with the strong arms that had encased his chest and continued to buck wildly, his screaming muffled by the rag.

Alan could feel his limbs growing heavier and spots began to dance in his vision. Taking one last glance at his fallen brother, he felt his eyes roll back into his legs as he fell into the awaiting blackness with nothing but a wild laughing playing in his ears.

* * *

"Wonder how Alan and John are getting on?" Scott's voice rang out across the sun lit pool. Propped up against the edge, the eldest Tracy son watched as Gordon and Virgil raced across the clear blue water. Mighty splashes were being made by the two flailing Tracys and Scott felt himself grinning. Laughing as Gordon reached the end four clear strokes ahead of his disgruntled brother, Scott swam slowly over to the two other men.

"Alan seemed happy about getting off the Island for a bit, didn't he?" he questioned with a smile still adorning his features. Virgil breathed heavily and looked up at his older brother with a similar smile on his face.

"Of course he did," Virgil replied breathlessly. "The Sprout has been going crazy for the last week just sitting around, not being able to join in. Hardly surprising that he's going stir crazy."

Gordon nodded his head in agreement and leant his arms over the side of the pool.

"He's been quite quiet too, don't you think? It's not like him. Usually can't get the little sod to shut up for five minutes," the water-loving Tracy commented affectionately. He smiled when he thought of the prank he had played this morning. It hadn't been hard sneaking into his only younger brother's room and swiping the stick over his lips. The reaction was beautiful too, if he did say so himself.

The three Tracy boys smiled together at the thought of Alan being so happy again. They gently pulled themselves out of the pool and made their way back towards the comfortable pool loungers, each grabbing a towel to dry themselves off with.

Suddenly a loud yell from inside brought the immediate attention of the boys and they took of sprinting towards the sound.

"Holy Christ, John. What the hell happened? Are you okay?" There was a slight pause before the younger Tracy members rounded the corner to find Jeff with a stricken look on his pale face. The oldest Tracy had a phone clasped to his ear and his eyes were wide.

"Oh my- Alan! What do you mean, _gone?" _Another moment of silence followed. "John, please tell me this is a joke," the oldest Tracy man begged. A pinch crossed his face as he glanced at his other boys who were staring at him intently.

"Son, it's not your fault. I'm sure you did everything you could," Jeff said, attempting to soothe his son. "John, Gordon and Virgil will be there in under an hour. Get yourself somewhere safe, now."

A murmur was heard from the other end of the line as the conversation drew to a close.

"Will do, John," Jeff spoke once again. The tone left no room for argument and the three shocked Tracy son's stood with mouth's drooping at the elder man.

"Dad, what the heck is going on?"

Jeff swirled around and faced his sons with a look of despair.

"Boys... Alan has been kidnapped."

**_TBC..._**

**Reviews are love!**


	4. Guess who's back, back again

**I'm so, so, so sorry for leaving this so long before an update. I've had a really hard time recently and haven't really thought about writing. It pains me to say that my Granddad recently passed away. He was an amazing person. I still can't believe it. Alongside that I've just done 12 exams too, so I've had a really rough time. I hope you guys can understand.**

**Now, I'd like to thank all my kind reviewers for your lovely words. To the ones I can't respond to, thank you so much. Your words inspire me! **

**On another note, this chapter has one naughty word. Feeling a bit rude I am! (No idea why I've turned into Yoda). In the situation that happens, it's understandable though so I hope you guys can let this one slide. If you hate swearing, I'd advise you just pretend the word is fudge instead... Yay!**

**Anyways, hope you enjoy this chapter; it may be a bit rubbish though so I apologise. Hopefully I can start updating more regularly to make up for it.**

* * *

A grunt escaped the blonde Tracy's lips as he awoke. Wincing at the flare of pain in his head, he came to awareness, suddenly alert to the fact that he was slumped on the floor, face down against the dirty pavement. Placing his palms flat on the concrete, John gently pushed himself up until he could drop down into a sitting position and lean back against the red brick wall next to him. Taking a few deep breaths to clear his fuzzy head, he squinted as random flashes of Alan calling his name popped into his head and tried to sort out what they meant.

With a gasp, a realisation dawned on him and he quickly twisted around, eyes darting back and forth down the darkened alley.

"Alan?" John called desperately, seeking his younger brother. Pushing himself up off the ground, he felt his heart beat wildly and swayed slightly as his vision wavered. Taking another moment to clear his head, he stumbled forward, searching around him.

His head snapped around as he caught sight of something lying on the floor by his feet. Bending down, John picked up the watch that had been discarded and turned it over in his hands in horror.

"_Alan_," he breathed desperately, taking in the black, gleaming watch that belonged to his youngest brother.

Jamming his hand into his pocket, he fumbled around hastily for his phone and whipped it out, punching in the correct number to put him through to home. Clasping the phone in a sweaty palm, he began to race forward towards the end of the alley, still searching.

The phone rang four times before a chipper Jeff Tracy answered the phone with a warm greeting.

"_John!" _Jeff exclaimed. _"How is the trip going?"_

Swallowing loudly, John felt his heart still beating a mile a minute.

"Dad, something has happened," he began, eyes twitching back and forward down the street, still seeking out the mop of familiar blonde hair. Dashing back down the alley, he continued to clutch the phone to his ear.

"_What is it? Are you boys okay?" _came the reply, worry now evident in the eldest Tracy's voice.

"Dad, someone attacked us."

"_Holy Christ, John. What the hell happened? Are you okay?" _Jeff's voice had raised an octave and John pulled the phone away from his ear slightly as to stop the harsh ringing in his head that accompanied it.

"We turned onto Mulberry Alley near the Tracy building and- oh God, Dad, someone must have hit me with something and I woke up to find Alan gone." Tears threatened to spill out of the sparkling blue eyes of the second Tracy as he scrambled to the end of the alley.

"_Oh my- Alan! What do you mean, gone?"_

"He's nowhere to be found. All that's here is his watch," John explained hurriedly, the first of the worried tears escaping his eye.

"_John, please tell me this is a joke," _the older Tracy begged, his voice pleading.

"I'm so sorry- I didn't look after him properly and now he's gone and it's all my fault," John cried into the speaker as he rounded the corner and scanned the road ahead of him.

"_Son, it's not your fault. I'm sure you did everything you could," _Jeff said, attempting to soothe him. "J_ohn, Gordon and Virgil will be there in under an hour. Get yourself somewhere safe, now," _demanded the voice on the other end of the line.

"Okay Dad, please hurry. He could be-" John broke off, not wanting to finish his own daunting sentence.

"_Will do, John."_

* * *

"_Kidnapped?" _Scott screeched, his face incredulous. Gordon and Virgil joined their older brother and began sending a torrent of questions at Jeff, who stood with a look of panic on his face.

"What do you mean kidnapped?"

"Is John okay?"

"Who the hell would do that?"

"Boys, calm it," Jeff began, attempting to control the situation. Inside, his heart was fluttering wildly. "We need to keep our heads. Alan is in serious trouble and John needs our help right now. Virgil, Gordon, you need to get yourselves over to him and check him over. Scott, get Brains in here and we can attempt to track Alan's phone somehow. John said his watch was left on the floor but mentioned nothing about his cell."

A sudden loud beeping burst through Jeff's words and all heads snapped towards the flashing screen in front of them. Leaping forward, Jeff pressed the brightly lit button and an image flashed up.

"Good afternoon Jeff, how are you?" called an old too familiar voice. Shock swept through the Tracy men as they glared up at the Hood who smiled down at them smugly.

"Hood," Scott ground out. "How the hell did you get out of prison?" Fury burned in his eyes as he stared at the man who had attacked Alan in the bank once before. The Hood gave a patronising laugh and continued to stare at the Tracys with cold eyes.

"Those _prison guards _really aren't difficult to control you know," he spoke almost conversationally. "They were just _begging _to let me out when I was done." Chuckling once again, the Hood continued. "You didn't honestly think I wouldn't come back for you and dear little Alan? Wow, Jeff, I'm truly offended." His voice saying otherwise, he smirked as he heard the oldest Tracy son growl.

"Hood, give me my son back or I swear you will regret it," Jeff uttered threateningly, glaring at the man he had had nightmares about for days after the events at the London bank.

Another laugh resonated through the speakers in the large control room.

"I'm afraid Alan is a little too... _tied up _to be going anywhere right now, Jeff." With those words, the Hood stepped off to the side and a horrifying image appeared on the screen.

Alan was sitting on a small wooden chair, head slumped to his chest and arms tied up tightly with thick, harsh rope. Although he was not directly facing the camera, all of the men could see the blood that coated Alan's face and had stained his white t-shirt. The top itself had many tears which were also surrounded by the dark red substance that had seeped through.

Cries of outrage rang out in the Tracy household as they took in the shocking sight of seeing their youngest in such a way. Anger bubbled through each Tracy as they called out Alan's name.

"Yes, come on Alan, join the fun." Hood taunted in a sickeningly sweet voice. The Tracys witnessed as the Hood walked to a door at the side of the camera and stepped out of the room. Another man entered where he had just left and the sight made Gordon, Jeff, Virgil and Scott simultaneously wince. The man was huge; tall and broad. Muscles rippled down his arms and his chest. His shaven head was covered in a bright and intricate tattoo that spiralled down his thick, beefy neck, disappearing under his t-shirt.

The man cracked his knuckles together and grinned a toothy grin at the camera.

"Let's get this started, shall we?"

* * *

A harsh wrench on his hair snapped the youngest Tracy into consciousness. Gritting his teeth as the painful tug atop his head, he pried open his eyes the best he could. His left eye gave a throb and Alan could feel it swelling hotly. Pain flared up all around his body and suddenly he couldn't tell what hurt more.

Gasping as another pull on his hair turned his head to the side, his still-functioning eye widened as a familiar burly, huge figure appeared in his view. _Crap_, he thought nervously, tongue darting out to wet his parched lips. A sharp sting shot through his bottom lip as his tongue traced over a large, jagged cut that had broken his skin. Shuddering slightly as he remembered the fist coming into contact with his face, he gulped as the man above him grinned down at him sickly.

"Hello again, Alan," the man growled as he shook the teen's hair slightly. Alan's abused scalp pounded as he felt himself growing nauseous.

A sudden burst of sound to his left brought his gaze swiftly from the man above him to a brightly lit screen that sat on top of a small table to the corner of the room. His eye widened once more as he saw the worried faces of his father and brothers staring out at him. Feeling a lump grow in his throat, he pulled his head away from the man's grasp.

"Dad," he croaked, his voice straining to make sounds. "Dad, I-"

"Nah-uh, Allie. No chit-chat right now." A fat hand grabbed at his neck, effectively cutting the Tracy off. Once again hearing cries of outrage from the screen, Alan choked as he struggled to suck air into his lungs. The hand tightened further for a few seconds before letting go. Panting, Alan dropped his head, black dots clouding his limited vision. A laugh sounded to his right and he felt a tremor of fear slide through him as the man stepped in front of him, cutting off his vision of his family, who continued to yell their protests at the man's actions.

Ignoring them completely, the figure lifted a hand to the side of Alan's face and grinned as the younger boy flinched. Stroking his cheek with mock pity, the man sighed.

"Now, let's get back to where we were, shall we?"

Stepping back out of the way of the camera, the man wiggled his fingers before drawing them up into a huge fist before bringing them down harshly on the side of Alan's face.

Alan bit back the cry of pain and let out a whimper as his head snapped to the side from the force of the blow. The sounds of his brother's and father's yells of "_Alan!"_ and "_Stop it you sick bastard!" _were drowned out by the loud ringing noise that filled his ears as he twisted his head round towards the man once more. Cringing, he readied himself for the next blow he saw coming as the fist once again flew towards him, this time landing on his stomach.

The wind knocked out of him, Alan gasped for breath as he felt bile rise in his throat. Chest heaving in an attempt to gain back the oxygen supply lost from his lungs, he grimaced as he heard continuous callings of his name from the screen to the side. A coppery tang arose in his mouth and he winced in distaste.

Spitting out the thick liquid that pooled into his mouth, he glared up at his captor. Desperately trying to push down the pain that flared up in his chest, Alan glanced at the screen to his each member of his family apart from John with eyes transfixed on him. Feeling a surge of confidence, he looked back up at the burly man and glared.

"Why don't you just fuck off?"

A silence followed his spat words as even the Tracy men on the screen grew incredulous at the brave words that had left the youngest's lips.

A deep scowl appeared on the shocked face of the wall of muscle in front of him and Alan felt a tingle of regret pool into his mind. Swallowing thickly and staring into the cold grey eyes of the man that had assaulted him, he watched as the man straightened up and gave a deep chuckle. He stepped away from the teenager, walking over to a small table Alan hadn't noticed was there. Taking the opportunity to look at his family, he saw every member apart from his blonde counterpart crammed around each other, panic strewn across their features.

"Alan," Jeff's tinny voice came through the small speakers. "Son, we're coming for you. I promise."

Alan nodded his head, a wave of nausea sweeping through him at the motion. Breathing against the rising bile, he felt spikes of pain increasing across his body as he shifted slightly.

"Better be quick, Jeff," the tattooed man said from next to Alan, startling the younger boy. "Don't think you'll have much time left when I'm done."

_Oh shit, _was the only thought that passed through Alan's mind as he caught a glimpse of what the man had retrieved. Sitting firmly on the backs of his knuckles were sharp, thick spikes attached to a longer plate which encircled his beefy hands.

Back at Tracy Island, the rest of the despairing family could only watch in horror as Alan pushed himself back into the chair, attempting to somehow put distance between him and the sick person next to him. Jeff felt his pulse race and by glancing at his boys crammed beside him, he could tell they felt the same. Snapping his eyes back to the screen, the tight knot of worry in his chest grew larger and he slammed his hands down on the console before him.

"Don't_ touch_ him you bastard. I'll give anything, just don't hurt him." Jeff pleaded, desperation settling in even more when he saw the man flex his hands menacingly.

"Sorry, Jeff," the man replied in his gravelly voice with fake concern. "The only thing we want is this guy," he said, gesturing to Alan. A manic grin grew on his features. "Sucks for you, huh?"

"Give him back or I swear to _God _I will find you and rip your throat out!" Scott growled beside Jeff, fists clenched and teeth grit. A sharp "_get in line" _was spat from Gordon and Jeff placed a steadying hand on Scott's shoulder. He felt the younger man tremble harshly under his fingers as he stared down at Alan's squeezed shut eyes. Another laugh from the screen saw tempers rising hotly.

"See now Scott, that would require you actually _finding _us, and I'm pretty sure that's not going to happen any time soon."

Caught off guard at his name being said, Scott felt the colour drain from his face. A quick look to his left showed that his father too was surprised.

"Look you messed up freak," Gordon began sharply. "We _will _find you and when that happens you're going to regret even _looking _at Alan, you hear me?"

"Sure thing, Gordon. Sure thing," came the airy reply. A smile had adorned the man's features and he moved round to stand in front of Alan, blocking him from the family's view. Hearing another growl from his eldest, Jeff's panic spiked and he knew it would show on his face.

"Why are you doing this?" he questioned in a pained voice. "What have I or Alan done to you?"

The answer that came wasn't what any had expected.

"Absolutely nothing at all you _idiot,_" he hissed, face pinched in a snarl. "The perfect Jeff Tracy really doesn't know _anything, _does he?"

Turning his back to the screen, he bent down in front of Alan and looked into the eyes of the young boy strapped into the wooden chair. One word fell from his lips in a whisper that reached the microphone and shot fear though the hearts of the Tracy men.

"_Showtime." _

_**TBC**_

_**Reviews are love!**_


	5. A Familiar Place

**Okay, so I realise that everyone is going to absolutely hate me and that's totally understandable so I'll go ahead and say I'm ridiculously sorry for how long it is between updates! Even now I don't now how I've found the time as I've been so crazy busy and had absolutely no ideas either so.. Yeah. No excuse but thank you for your continued support and the amazing reviews you are still giving me! **

**This chapter isn't really a chapter, more of a filler and an apology for having nothing. I have exams and coursework over the next few weeks but I need someone to kick me up the bum in Feb if I haven't written a new chapter by then to MAKE me write more if someone would be so kind? Again, this is little more than a few paragraphs really but you guys deserved something from me so I hope this suffices for now until I can write more.**

**Yet again thank you and sorry! If anyone has an beta tips or plot ideas I'd be more than happy for you to share them with me! This is a totally beta-less (if that's a real word..? Don't judge, it's been a long time since I wrote anything!) so any mistakes are mine.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own jack so no chance of that here!**

* * *

The first thing he noticed when he came to was that he was being forcibly dragged along an uneven, rough floor, held up under his armpits with his legs draping behind him. The second thing that he noticed was that he hurt. A lot. Not an area of his body remained unscathed from his captor's wrath and he sure felt it. The final thing he realised was that he blindfolded and his arms were bound painfully behind his back, coarse rope digging in to his already chaffed wrists.

Wincing, Alan squeezed his eyes tighter shut beneath the dark cloth covering them and suppressed a grunt as his tender body was harshly pulled along the bumpy ground. For what seemed hours but was only minutes, he was dragged by what he guessed as two men before they took a sharp turn left and he was abruptly deposited on what felt like ice for how cold it was.

Disappearing footsteps and a loud _clang _later told him he had been placed into a room and locked in. Wiggling slightly, he attempted to move himself into a somewhat more comfortable position after landing smack on his battered chest and face. Releasing a pained groan he managed to roll his throbbing body onto his side and he let out a puff of air as he tried to bring his pounding heart and pain under control. His eye felt twice the size and like someone was constantly hitting him and he daren't even try to open it against the fabric that his captors had neglected to remove.

Courtesy of a set of brass, sharpened knuckles Alan's t-shirt now lay in worse tatters, huge splodges of red staining it amongst the dirt, almost conjoining as one deep red reminder of how much that _really_ hurt and how much of a _sonofabitch _Big Bald Bad Guy as Alan had so originally named him was.

Gritting his teeth he drew up his strength and pulled his body up from a laying position and slumped back against the equally freezing wall, visions greying as he felt every single cut and bruise throb in protest as one. Head swimming, Alan began to shuffle his arms about behind him, twisting his aching wrists against his bonds attempting to free himself. Gasping in pain as his right wrist suddenly flared in a slice of agony he halted his movements and breathed in deeply through his nose, resigning himself to the fact that he was not going anywhere any time soon.

_Please find me, guys _he thought desperately. A bubble of panic rose in his chest which he fought down strongly, reminding himself to just _keep calm_. Taking another deep breath, he rested his head back against the wall, heart beat returning to a less worrying pace.

Minutes went past with nothing but his loud, rattly breath filling the silence around him before he was suddenly snapped out of his calm state by the _clunk_ of the door being opened and the _bang _ as it smacked open against the wall next to him.

"Well well Alan, looking a little worse for wear here aren't we?" boomed the familiar, mocking voice of the Hood next to him. Saying nothing in return, Alan grimaced as he heard the Hood chuckle almost gleefully and _felt _ the older man kneel next to him before his arm was roughly grabbed and pulled forward in a tight grip. Grunting in pain as his wrist screamed in protest Alan suddenly felt a sharp stab in his bicep.

"What the-?" he gasped out, feeling the drain of some kind of fluid being pumped into his arm via a rather large needle. Wincing, he tried in vain to pull his arm away, only succeeding in making the Hood chuckle once more before removing the needle, standing up and ripping the blindfold off the boy in front of him.

Alan kept his eyes clenched against the sudden invasion of light, refusing to look up at the hated man that had him kidnapped and tortured. The Hood walked over to the door as Alan cautiously opened a bleary eye, keeping his fuzzy gaze trained down.

"Take him back, drop him off at Tracy Industries," the Hood spoke to an unknown figure outside the room before looking back at the boy slumped pitifully, body damaged harshly. "Let's see how he likes his son in this way."

_And how he likes watching his son slowly losing his own mind_ he thought sinisterly, stepping out of the room and smiling to himself.

* * *

The next time when Alan woke it was to the harsh jostling of the back of some kind of vehicle. His hands were bound in front of him this time and he was propped up against the side of what he guessed to be a van. His mouth was dry and he realised with a start that there was some kind of cloth gag to cut off his speech, not that he was planning on talking much anyway with his aching throat. His eyes had been left unblindfolded however but he noticed that his eye was still swollen shut and looked around blearily.

_How original, _he thought dryly. Pain still pulsed throughout his body and his wrist was now on fire. Gritting his teeth he steeled himself as he felt the van swerve round a corner and screech to a shuddering halt. As suddenly as he had woken, the back doors were flung open by a man with a cloth tied securely round his mouth and nose who stepped into the van, grabbed Alan by his shoulder and pulled him up off the floor of the van.

Alan winced against the movement of his abused body and attempted to pull himself to his feet unaided. He stumbled forward out of the van and looked around, shocked at where he was. The back entrance of the Tracy Industries building near where he had been grabbed from not days ago looked a welcome sight just across the road from him. A shove to his back sent him sprawling forwards, his weak limbs not preparing to hold him and he tripped over, face first towards the pavement. His vision swam as he landed on his shoulder, unable to support himself with bound hands and his breath was knocked from him once more.

Suddenly, a foot came rushing towards his face and his head snapped round, darkness engulfing him once more. The last thing he heard before he slipped into unconsciousness was the slamming of the van door and the rev of the engine as the van sped off, leaving him sprawled in the middle of the deserted road.

* * *

"_Dad!" _came a hurried yell from through the Tracy house. A thundering of footsteps followed and suddenly Scott appeared in the eldest member of the family's study, slightly out of breath. "You're never going to believe this."

_**TBC**_


	6. Hello, Is It Me You're Looking For?

**Umm, how great is this?! Two updates in a few days after the stupidly long wait before? High five anyone? No? Okay then, just me.. **

**I recently had a weird burst of writing enthusiasm and the ideas started flowing so yeah, this is what became of it. Another chapter, good times! Well, not for the Tracy family but.. Oh well eh? ;) Poor poor Alan...**

**Thanks for the reviews for the last chapter, I totally didn't deserve them after how long it had been and I'm super appreciative of it! Love getting reviews, literally brightens my day. I've so missed that so any reviews for this would be much appreciated again!**

**On to the next chapter. This chapter just has some details and features the return of a certain character our other resident blonde boy took a fancy too before! It's actually mainly from that character's perspective. I'm thinking of doing a chapter solely dedicated to how each brother greets Alan and how they feel but don't know if that's going to be too boring or not? Please let me know what you think.**

**This chapter (and A/N it seems...) is slightly longer than the last so I hope it makes up for the cliffhanger y'all were left with for like, a year. My bad. **

**Oh, another thing, how was the grammar for the last chapter? Would love a beta reader if anyone fancied taking the job? I pay in my humble gratitude! **

**And one last mandatory thing... Disclaimer: still don't own them despite my valiant efforts of doing absolutely nothing but wishing. Enjoy!**

* * *

Steven Morrison had been having a wonderful day. He woke up at nine, had a lovely warm shower and leisurely dressed, preparing for his day off from work. He had worked a double shift at the hospital the day before and had been exhausted when he had eventually plopped into his bed last night. Smiling, he had listened to his favourite band whilst sipping a juice drink and grabbed his coat, stepping out of his apartment. He made his way down the four flights of stairs, preferring that to the slightly questionable lift and stepped out onto the busy street. Mingling in with the pedestrians that were rushing around, he strolled along, humming to himself and breathing in the crisp air.

Turning left, Steven started the journey to his favourite café that served the most _delightful _pastries and thirst-quenching smoothies. Always one for sweet treats, he stepped onto the next street with a slight skip in his step. Suddenly, a van shot past, clearly in a hurry. Shaking his head at the speed, he continued walking down the road behind the huge Tracy Industries building, wondering what it must be like to work in such a place. Musing to himself, he almost missed the figure that lay on the ground in a heap in the shadows to his left.

Startled, he stopped and suddenly took another look at the crumpled figure with a lock of dirty blonde hair, looking in very bad shape. His brain took a moment to figure it out but as soon as the reality hit him, he took off running towards the body, whipping out his phone as he went. Skidding over towards him, he gasped as the sight of the missing Tracy boy came into view, blood and grime smeared over his clearly pained, boyish features. Hurriedly feeling for a pulse, he felt a surge of relief for the youngster as a steady beat throbbed underneath his fingers and he dialled 999 as quickly as he could. A few seconds later, a voice answered, questioning which service he wanted. He replied with a slight incredulous lilt to his voice.

"Ambulance, police and Jeff Tracy. I've found his missing son."

* * *

"Well, Mr Tracy, I wasn't expecting to see you here again so soon," Sarah Daniels said, greeting the familiar face of Jeff Tracy. "Especially under such poor circumstances once more," she added softly, seeing the pale complexion of the man she was talking to.

"Nor I you, Dr Daniels," Jeff replied morosely. Taking a steadying breath, he stared at the kind doctor who had treated his youngest son not more than two weeks prior. "How is Alan? Can I see him now?"

"Well," Sarah started, hating having to break more bad medical news to the Tracy family, "Alan has sustained severe lacerations to his chest and abdomen as well as some pretty extensive bruising. Unfortunately as his ribs were healing from their previous breaks, they were not as strong and the trauma he received caused them a lot of strain causing the re-fracture of two of them. Aside from this he has some pretty nasty swelling and bruising to his eye though thankfully there is no noticeable lasting damage there. His wrists were suffering from what seems to be rope burns and his right scaphoid has suffered a small fracture. He seemed to have been knocked unconscious by a blow to the temple which we need to keep an eye on and monitor but the head CT showed no obvious signs of any trauma which is good. There are a few other superficial cuts which we have given some stitches and some bruising but they don't seem to have caused any major problems." Stopping to take a breath, she continued carefully.

"It seems as though in overall physical terms Alan will be fine barring any kind of complications but we'll have to wait to see how he is when he wakes up to confirm that."

Jeff sighed, astoundingly grateful that his youngest son looked to have escaped lasting problems.

"When can I see him?" he questioned, anxious to see Alan.

"Soon; he's being moved down to a private room now. I'll take you to the relatives room to grab some coffee whilst you wait. No offence, sir but you seem like you could use one," she smiled, attempting to reassure the older man. Jeff nodded in response, warming even further to Alan's doctor.

"You read my mind," he stated appreciatively, following Sarah along the brightly lit corridor. _To hell with the no coffee rule Virgil stuck me on, this calls for several cups _he thought tiredly. They had made it to the entrance of the room when a recognisable yell sounded from his right.

"Dad!"

Forward came the rest of the worried Tracy clan, hurrying towards their father. They were all just as anxious to see their baby brother as Jeff was.

Having been found by his brothers just hours after he had woken to the situation of being alone in the alley with no Alan and taken back to a hotel a few miles away to call their father and get the update on what was happening, John was currently sporting a slightly swollen, bruised face where he had been hit unconscious and was suffering a pounding headache to boot. He shuffled towards the eldest Tracy, Virgil's steadying hand on his arm. After being given a thorough examination from their resident doctor and deemed okay enough, his heart had leapt from his chest when he received the news that Alan had been found already. Having only been gone less than a day, John prayed that it was good news.

"Is he okay?"

"Where is he?"

"Can we see him?"

A sudden outburst from several of his sons led to Jeff putting up a quieting hand and gesturing to the open door behind him being held open by a slightly overwhelmed doctor.

"He's in bad shape but apparently should be fine, boys. Let's talk more in here." Jeff stepped into the room, trying to muster a smile at Sarah but falling short. His oldest four sons trailed in behind him and all took seats, eager to learn more about their brother's condition.

"Hello again," Sarah welcomed the Tracy family, stepping to the coffee machine and flicking on the switch. "I know you're concerned about your brother so I'll tell you what I just told your father. Essentially, Alan should be fine. He has sustained a lot of lacerations and extensive bruising as well as two fractured ribs and a slight fracture to his right wrist. He's taken some obvious blows to the face, though they seem to be more superficial than threatening. He's being moved downstairs now following his CT scan and you should be able to see him soon." A collective look of relief seemed to wash over the Tracy family and she frowned. Jeff had privately explained to her what had happened and what they had seen in hope that he might point out anything useful to aid them in their treatment of Alan and she had been quietly horrified. Now she truly wondered how bad what they had witnessed happen to the youngest member of their tight-knit family must have been for them to have been relieved at hearing about a large list of injuries. Not being able to imagine what the family must have been going through, as soon as she had heard from the clinical lead that Alan Tracy was once more to become her patient following his reappearance after being grabbed not far from where they stood now she felt awful.

Sweeping her gaze around the room, she gauged each person's reactions and noticed the exact same emotion pass through the eyes of the Tracy family. As she glanced at the other Tracy son who had been in her care, her frown slightly deepened as she took in the red and purple blotch covering his temple with a slight gash in the centre. Moving forwards, she scrutinised the wound further and looked at John with sharp eyes.

"How did this happen? Have you been looked at?" she questioned slightly, concern for his welfare once more appearing. The doctor in her was always alert to any injury and nothing was too small to cause little sense of unease.

John's returning smile was strained and he nodded slightly.

"Virgil took a look, it's nothing too bad," he replied quietly, hating the attention he was receiving. _It should be Alan they're focussing on, not me _he thought dejectedly.

"I'm sure he's right but nevertheless, I think you should have it seen to. You know only too well what underestimating an injury can lead to," she reminded carefully. Yet again, John nodded but making no effort to take her point further. Sadly, Sarah sighed and stepped backwards.

A sudden beeping from her pager startled her slightly and she glanced down, grabbing the offending item and quickly read the message, a small smile growing.

"Alan's settled in, you are welcome to go and see him now. Follow me this way," she instructed. "It will have to be two at a time I'm afraid. If Alan is awake he may be slightly overwhelmed as you may imagine and we need him to keep calm," she added. The slight nods of confirmation she received were enough and she led them to Alan's room a minute's walk away. Stopping outside, she offered the family a slight warning.

"As you can guess, he looks in bad shape. Just remember that thankfully he should be fine in the long run though." Standing back, she watched as Jeff looked to his sons.

A silent message was shared through the Tracy boys and John stepped forward, desperate to see Alan again. He couldn't shake off the drowning feeling that he should have been able to protect his baby brother better and the guilt crept into his chest.

He sent a quick glance towards the kind doctor who he had thought about a few times in the last week following Alan's departure from the very same hospital but couldn't say he was pleased to see her due to the circumstances about which the meeting was brought about. Feeling his father's warm hand clasp his shoulder John took a breath and stepped into Alan's room with, Jeff close behind.

_**TBC..**_


End file.
